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A Thousand Naked Strangers: a Paramedic's Wild Ride to the Edge and Back
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Memoir & Autobiography (2016)A former paramedic’s visceral, poignant, and mordantly funny account of a decade spent on Atlanta’s mean streets saving lives and connecting with the drama and occasional beauty that lies inside catastrophe.
In the aftermath of 9/11 Kevin Hazzard felt that something was missing from his life—his days were too safe, too routine. A failed salesman turned local reporter, he wanted to test himself, see how he might respond to pressure and danger. He signed up for emergency medical training and became, at age twenty-six, a newly minted EMT running calls in the worst sections of Atlanta. His life entered a different realm—one of blood, violence, and amazing grace.
Thoroughly intimidated at first and frequently terrified, he experienced on a nightly basis the adrenaline rush of walking into chaos. But in his downtime, Kevin reflected on how people’s facades drop away when catastrophe strikes. As his hours on the job piled up, he realized he was beginning to see into the truth of things. There is no pretense five beats into a chest compression, or in an alley next to a crack den, or on a dimly lit highway where cars have collided. Eventually, what had at first seemed impossible happened: Kevin acquired mastery. And in the process he was able to discern the professional differences between his freewheeling peers, what marked each—as he termed them—as “a tourist,” “true believer,” or “killer.”
Combining indelible scenes that remind us of life’s fragile beauty with laugh-out-loud moments that keep us smiling through the worst, A Thousand Naked Strangers is an absorbing read about one man’s journey of self-discovery—a trip that also teaches us about ourselves.
In the aftermath of 9/11 Kevin Hazzard felt that something was missing from his life—his days were too safe, too routine. A failed salesman turned local reporter, he wanted to test himself, see how he might respond to pressure and danger. He signed up for emergency medical training and became, at age twenty-six, a newly minted EMT running calls in the worst sections of Atlanta. His life entered a different realm—one of blood, violence, and amazing grace.
Thoroughly intimidated at first and frequently terrified, he experienced on a nightly basis the adrenaline rush of walking into chaos. But in his downtime, Kevin reflected on how people’s facades drop away when catastrophe strikes. As his hours on the job piled up, he realized he was beginning to see into the truth of things. There is no pretense five beats into a chest compression, or in an alley next to a crack den, or on a dimly lit highway where cars have collided. Eventually, what had at first seemed impossible happened: Kevin acquired mastery. And in the process he was able to discern the professional differences between his freewheeling peers, what marked each—as he termed them—as “a tourist,” “true believer,” or “killer.”
Combining indelible scenes that remind us of life’s fragile beauty with laugh-out-loud moments that keep us smiling through the worst, A Thousand Naked Strangers is an absorbing read about one man’s journey of self-discovery—a trip that also teaches us about ourselves.
261 pages, Hardcover
First published January 5, 2016
594 people are currently reading
22604 people want to read
About the author
Kevin Hazzard
13 books93 followersKevin Hazzard worked as a paramedic from 2004 to 2013, primarily at Grady Hospital in Atlanta. His freelance journalism has appeared in Atlanta Magazine, Marietta Daily Journal, Creative Loafing, and Paste. He is the author of a novel, Sleeping Dogs, and A Thousand Naked Strangers. He and his family live in Hermosa Beach, California.
~http://authors.simonandschuster.com/K...
Librarian’s note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
~http://authors.simonandschuster.com/K...
Librarian’s note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,576 reviews
March 22, 2018
Kevin Hazzard's memoir about being a paramedic. It is shocking, but I learned a lot about the physical and emotional toll the job takes on these professionals.
Frankly, I'm surprised that anyone is able to do this job. I know that I couldn't.
A Thousand Naked Strangers invites the reader to examine their own mortality or, if not examine it, just remember it like a literary memento mori.
I, like most other people, want to pretend that I'm going to live forever when I know I'm not. A Thousand Naked Strangers doesn't allow room for that.
Hazzard's stories can be ridiculous, gruesome, or uplifting. This book has a little bit of everything.
Why Kevin decides to become an EMT: (his first day of class) "...Alan (the instructor) tells us, right out of the gate, if we're not sure we can handle this, now is the time to leave. A couple of people laugh as though the mere suggestion is ridiculous, but I'm not one of them. I didn't grow up wanting to be an EMT, nor do I know if I'll like it. What I do know is I want to get hip-deep in things that matter." pg 19 ebook.
He certainly manages to do that.
Learning the ropes: "It's all so new, so foreign, so much like that period of childhood- first or second grade, maybe- when you're old enough to know you're alive and one day will die, yet young enough to still believe that a thin vein of magic runs just beneath the surface." pgs 26-27 ebook.
I still feel like that, most of the time.
Why Kevin stays: "Every word the radio breathes into the stale air of the station sets me on fire. EMS is the greatest show I've ever seen, except it's not a show, it's all real. No, it's more than that- it's reality distilled and boiled down to its essence." pg 59 ebook
At times, I had trouble connecting with this memoir. He almost felt too excited to be out there... inviting disaster because he was going to be the one to pick up the pieces. I've never felt like that.
Why it's so hard to read A Thousand Naked Strangers: "In a job where it's possible to scoop up a stranger's brain, it's important to have levity. But after a while, I lose the ability to judge which stories to tell my friends and which go beyond the limits of good taste." pg 90 ebook. That's it- in a nutshell.
Finally, how Kevin's job is sort of like everyone else's: "Like a recurring dream, every working day holds the same frustrations, and the working days never change, they just stretch out for all eternity. For months I've wondered how it will end. Maybe I'll reach my limit and quit." pg 206 ebook
I think, anyone who works a job for any amount of time, feels like this at some point or another. Kevin's job was simply more intense and invited that type of introspection more quickly.
My book club picked this memoir as its monthly read. I'm not certain I would have ever chosen to read it otherwise. But, I'm glad I did.
Frankly, I'm surprised that anyone is able to do this job. I know that I couldn't.
A Thousand Naked Strangers invites the reader to examine their own mortality or, if not examine it, just remember it like a literary memento mori.
I, like most other people, want to pretend that I'm going to live forever when I know I'm not. A Thousand Naked Strangers doesn't allow room for that.
Hazzard's stories can be ridiculous, gruesome, or uplifting. This book has a little bit of everything.
Why Kevin decides to become an EMT: (his first day of class) "...Alan (the instructor) tells us, right out of the gate, if we're not sure we can handle this, now is the time to leave. A couple of people laugh as though the mere suggestion is ridiculous, but I'm not one of them. I didn't grow up wanting to be an EMT, nor do I know if I'll like it. What I do know is I want to get hip-deep in things that matter." pg 19 ebook.
He certainly manages to do that.
Learning the ropes: "It's all so new, so foreign, so much like that period of childhood- first or second grade, maybe- when you're old enough to know you're alive and one day will die, yet young enough to still believe that a thin vein of magic runs just beneath the surface." pgs 26-27 ebook.
I still feel like that, most of the time.
Why Kevin stays: "Every word the radio breathes into the stale air of the station sets me on fire. EMS is the greatest show I've ever seen, except it's not a show, it's all real. No, it's more than that- it's reality distilled and boiled down to its essence." pg 59 ebook
At times, I had trouble connecting with this memoir. He almost felt too excited to be out there... inviting disaster because he was going to be the one to pick up the pieces. I've never felt like that.
Why it's so hard to read A Thousand Naked Strangers: "In a job where it's possible to scoop up a stranger's brain, it's important to have levity. But after a while, I lose the ability to judge which stories to tell my friends and which go beyond the limits of good taste." pg 90 ebook. That's it- in a nutshell.
Finally, how Kevin's job is sort of like everyone else's: "Like a recurring dream, every working day holds the same frustrations, and the working days never change, they just stretch out for all eternity. For months I've wondered how it will end. Maybe I'll reach my limit and quit." pg 206 ebook
I think, anyone who works a job for any amount of time, feels like this at some point or another. Kevin's job was simply more intense and invited that type of introspection more quickly.
My book club picked this memoir as its monthly read. I'm not certain I would have ever chosen to read it otherwise. But, I'm glad I did.
February 8, 2017
(Talking about dealing with crazies) "Over time, their normal becomes your normal."
Review of this iconoclastic, interesting and well-written book to follow. Possibly.
Review of this iconoclastic, interesting and well-written book to follow. Possibly.
October 6, 2019
"In the beginning, it was all sirens and heroes and saving lives. A few years later, I hated the sounds of sirens. I'd saved lives but never enough, and I'd done heroic things, though never once did I feel like a hero." -- the author on page 258
Hazzard - a great surname for a person in the emergency services profession, don't you think? - is a writer / journalist by trade, but in the year after the 9/11 attacks he began re-thinking his career options. (He was an alumni of The Citadel - a well-known military college in the south - though he did not pursue a position in the armed forces like some of his friends did, which dovetails with the tremendous respect he had for those courageous police / fire / medical personnel who perished at the World Trade Center.) Throwing caution to the wind, he enrolled in emergency medical training.
A Thousand Naked Strangers details Hazzard's classroom education and then his ten years (2004-2013) working as a EMT-turned-paramedic out on the rough streets of Atlanta, Georgia (nickname: 'Empire City of the South'). He starts at a small, underfunded and third-rate ambulance service before eventually moving on to a larger, respected though quirky EMS agency connected to Grady Memorial Hospital, the largest medical center in the state. Responding to thousands of 911 calls in his rig with various partners, Hazzard gives readers that front-row seat to the heart attacks, drug overdoses, assaults, vehicle accidents, childbirths and all of the other weird stuff in between.
What was of most interest in this memoir was that Hazzard realizes after several years on the job that he is burning out, a common issue with those employed in such a profession. (Routinely working overnights / weekends / holidays PLUS seeing the worst of what some people or nature can do to a human body will do that to any person.) Wisely, he chooses to step away and return to writing full-time - and parenthood, as he and his wife had two young children - for the sake of his own sanity at probably just the right moment. Fortunately, his book on his time in EMS is not exactly depressing or a total downer. Hazzard includes a fair amount of humor - much of it dark, but that's how it is - and sly observations about his experiences along with his usually staccato-style storytelling. (Post script: he later wrote episodes for the three-season CBS-TV series Code Black, set in a metropolitan E/R.)
Hazzard - a great surname for a person in the emergency services profession, don't you think? - is a writer / journalist by trade, but in the year after the 9/11 attacks he began re-thinking his career options. (He was an alumni of The Citadel - a well-known military college in the south - though he did not pursue a position in the armed forces like some of his friends did, which dovetails with the tremendous respect he had for those courageous police / fire / medical personnel who perished at the World Trade Center.) Throwing caution to the wind, he enrolled in emergency medical training.
A Thousand Naked Strangers details Hazzard's classroom education and then his ten years (2004-2013) working as a EMT-turned-paramedic out on the rough streets of Atlanta, Georgia (nickname: 'Empire City of the South'). He starts at a small, underfunded and third-rate ambulance service before eventually moving on to a larger, respected though quirky EMS agency connected to Grady Memorial Hospital, the largest medical center in the state. Responding to thousands of 911 calls in his rig with various partners, Hazzard gives readers that front-row seat to the heart attacks, drug overdoses, assaults, vehicle accidents, childbirths and all of the other weird stuff in between.
What was of most interest in this memoir was that Hazzard realizes after several years on the job that he is burning out, a common issue with those employed in such a profession. (Routinely working overnights / weekends / holidays PLUS seeing the worst of what some people or nature can do to a human body will do that to any person.) Wisely, he chooses to step away and return to writing full-time - and parenthood, as he and his wife had two young children - for the sake of his own sanity at probably just the right moment. Fortunately, his book on his time in EMS is not exactly depressing or a total downer. Hazzard includes a fair amount of humor - much of it dark, but that's how it is - and sly observations about his experiences along with his usually staccato-style storytelling. (Post script: he later wrote episodes for the three-season CBS-TV series Code Black, set in a metropolitan E/R.)
January 12, 2016
What a change for Mr. Hazzard. He was a journalist who after 9/11 decided to go to EMT school. It seemed the intensive training he received was almost impossible to grasp. It was like you learn while on the job and that he did. He was in Atlanta, GA in some high crime areas, where they should have been police escorts.
We take these poor people for granted, like most first responders they see the worst of the worst. But we never consider what all they must contend with while trying to save a life. Can you even imagine trying to carry a 300 lb person down a narrow staircase, while trying to keep them alive? I haven't until I read this book. It's filled with all the trials and the intense pressure that some of these people face on a daily basis.
I found this book to be very enjoyable and also applaud Mr. Hazzard for sticking it out as long as he did.
I would like to thank Scribner and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this e-galley in exchange for an honest review.
We take these poor people for granted, like most first responders they see the worst of the worst. But we never consider what all they must contend with while trying to save a life. Can you even imagine trying to carry a 300 lb person down a narrow staircase, while trying to keep them alive? I haven't until I read this book. It's filled with all the trials and the intense pressure that some of these people face on a daily basis.
I found this book to be very enjoyable and also applaud Mr. Hazzard for sticking it out as long as he did.
I would like to thank Scribner and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this e-galley in exchange for an honest review.
April 15, 2016
One man's memoir of his time in Emergency Medical Services (first as an EMT, then as a paramedic). I learned a lot about EMS, and the book is chock full of stories about weirdos, if you like that sort of thing (I do). Personally, however, I found Hazzard's irreverent tone very off-putting. I get that gallows humor is a thing amongst people who see a lot of human misery on a day-to-day basis. I don't have a problem with it. What bothered me was all the stuff about "the perfect call," his obsession with getting a certain kind of case (gruesome but manageable) where he could try to save a person's life in front of a certain number of people (medium sized crowd), although in the end it didn't matter if the victim survived or not.
Let's just say it's got me looking at paramedics in different, not all-together positive way now. I hope I won't be in need of any for a very long time, so I can forget about this book in the interim.
Let's just say it's got me looking at paramedics in different, not all-together positive way now. I hope I won't be in need of any for a very long time, so I can forget about this book in the interim.
December 23, 2020
This would have been my favorite book if I read it when I was 11. Thing is, since then I've learned a whole lot about latent misogyny, white supremacy, redlining, sex work, class bias, internalized prejudices, and just about anything that can be wrapped up with "there goes another white dude with immense privilege presenting himself as a heroic, yet humble, Everyman."
Thus! This was a lightly personal essay about an interesting job told through a lens that was equal parts distracting and problematic. It was neat to learn about EMTs and the processes within emergency service. It was not cool to hear this guy describe it.
Thus! This was a lightly personal essay about an interesting job told through a lens that was equal parts distracting and problematic. It was neat to learn about EMTs and the processes within emergency service. It was not cool to hear this guy describe it.
November 7, 2017
3.5/5, rounded up.
This book was very, very interesting for many, many reasons. The synopsis tells you what it’s about and the text does not stray from that. He’s seen some crazy shit guys.
Aside from the content, I enjoyed the writing style. I found his dry, sarcastic sense of humor and passive aggressive wit enjoyable for the most part.
My problem with this lies in the authors poor attitude. At time he seems very pompous, some of his descriptions lack empathy all together, and at one point he points out that it’s rude for people to ask him what kind of crazy shit he’s seen on the job, but, that’s literally what this entire book is about. Seems very contradictory to me...
I enjoyed the stories, and I couldn’t put this book down, but some aspects were very off putting. Had he approached different sentiments with a bit more kindness—or simply humanness (is that a word?)—I would’ve rated this higher.
I probably wouldn’t recommend this unless someone specifically asked me about a book on this topic, simply because I don’t know of any others. I’m sure the content will linger in my mind for a while, but so will my slight distaste with the author.
This book was very, very interesting for many, many reasons. The synopsis tells you what it’s about and the text does not stray from that. He’s seen some crazy shit guys.
Aside from the content, I enjoyed the writing style. I found his dry, sarcastic sense of humor and passive aggressive wit enjoyable for the most part.
My problem with this lies in the authors poor attitude. At time he seems very pompous, some of his descriptions lack empathy all together, and at one point he points out that it’s rude for people to ask him what kind of crazy shit he’s seen on the job, but, that’s literally what this entire book is about. Seems very contradictory to me...
I enjoyed the stories, and I couldn’t put this book down, but some aspects were very off putting. Had he approached different sentiments with a bit more kindness—or simply humanness (is that a word?)—I would’ve rated this higher.
I probably wouldn’t recommend this unless someone specifically asked me about a book on this topic, simply because I don’t know of any others. I’m sure the content will linger in my mind for a while, but so will my slight distaste with the author.
October 24, 2024
Heads up, it isn’t about a massive orgy. I don’t know what you guys have heard, but I’ve always seen paramedics as these people with massive egos and hero complexes. The writer of the book lives up to this, and owns it. But he seems like a ton of fun and honestly if I were a big guy built like a tank I would really consider being a paramedic for a while. I also have the urge to do crazy stuff like this for the adventure, you know? And I already have the massive ego and hero complex, I’m just waiting for the extra hundred pounds of muscle. If you’re the kind of person who wants to go skydiving for fun then I would read this to get that vicarious experience. Lastly his name is Mr. Hazzard and he’s a paramedic and that just cracks me up.
November 5, 2016
"Death cracks inside jokes that only we emergency workers—with our practical knowledge of the postmortem human—will ever laugh at."In A Thousand Naked Strangers: A Paramedic’s Wild Ride to the Edge and Back, former Atlanta paramedic Kevin Hazzard shares his memories of entering the medical emergency field, a sample of his ten years of experiences in the field, and how he knew it was time for him to move on. The book's dark humor and matter-of-fact style will make a lot of sense to many people already in the helping industry and may come off as surprisingly nonchalant and too frank for others. When you deal with life and death crises day after day and come across scenes that even Stephen King's imagination can't conjure up, you have to create some emotional distance if you're going to survive the field. But while reading, it was my true hope and belief that underneath the necessary detachment, Mr. Hazzard put forth tremendous heart and effort while responding to emergencies... and of course while very much putting his own life in dangerous and potentially violent situations time and again. As is true in the helping field, sometimes people can't be saved. Some of the people helped are ungrateful and they are relentless in showing it. Emergency workers put themselves at significant risk in order to get the job done with little recognition and pennies for compensation. And most of the bright, shiny eyes who start out thinking how rewarding their new job is going to be will burn out way too soon.
If you are ever in the situation to require emergency assistance from an EMT, fireman, police officer, etc. and they have poor bedside manner, cut them a break. Traditional customer service does not always apply to these folks when the bottom line is saving lives. Their focus is elsewhere as it should be. These folks have seen it all and, based on this medical memoir, it's far from pretty. Yet they continue. Next time you bake a batch of cookies, set a few aside and go show some appreciation.
My favorite quote:
“But as always, lessons are drawn from mistakes, not victories.”
March 2, 2019
These men and women don't get paid enough for what they see and go through. Anyone can apply but not everyone will make it in the field.
As I said before, reading these has given more respect for the medical professionals in these various fields and helped me understand their mindsets a little more.
The calls the author went on with his different partners as EMT and paramedic were both interesting and some out there. A couple had me laughing a tiny bit (not at the people but just the crazy circumstances).
His first job was certainly different.. though maybe there's one like it in other places in that field? *shrugs*
There was one Call for a nursing home that had me grinding my teeth and mentally shooting daggers at the staff for that particular place.
It feels weird to criticize the writing style but even though the content kept my attention, the writing was so-so at times. It wasn't the worst I've read but not the greatest in this genre either.
Felt like the book could have been deeper in a way too.
Would recommend this if you want to know more about this field but I wouldn't read it again.
Side note: Narrator for the audiobook was pretty good.
Excuse any typos or errors right now, typing this on a few hours of sleep.
As I said before, reading these has given more respect for the medical professionals in these various fields and helped me understand their mindsets a little more.
The calls the author went on with his different partners as EMT and paramedic were both interesting and some out there. A couple had me laughing a tiny bit (not at the people but just the crazy circumstances).
His first job was certainly different.. though maybe there's one like it in other places in that field? *shrugs*
There was one Call for a nursing home that had me grinding my teeth and mentally shooting daggers at the staff for that particular place.
It feels weird to criticize the writing style but even though the content kept my attention, the writing was so-so at times. It wasn't the worst I've read but not the greatest in this genre either.
Felt like the book could have been deeper in a way too.
Would recommend this if you want to know more about this field but I wouldn't read it again.
Side note: Narrator for the audiobook was pretty good.
Excuse any typos or errors right now, typing this on a few hours of sleep.
December 9, 2016
If you work in EMS or are curious as to what goes on daily in the lives of these amazing people-you will love reading this book.
January 7, 2016
I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I am always drawn to anything medical and this memoir proved to be an eye opening and emotional roller coaster of a ride with Kevin as he started his career as an EMT. I worked in a hospital environment for 10 years but typing surgical reports in a medical records environment, so I was pretty far from where the real action, in the ER, was happening, but I was told many stories.
After 9/11 Kevin leaves behind his brief start in journalism to try to find a job that will be rewarding and where he can contribute to something important, being an EMT seemed to be the answer for him. After completing his training he was thrown right into the thick of things, assigned to assist paramedics during their ambulance runs.
This ambulance service sees some of the worst cases, responding to calls in the worst areas of Atlanta and transporting patients to Grady Memorial hospital which is located in the “seedier” side of Atlanta. The cases that Kevin describes vary greatly from some that are actually humorous to the life threatening. I felt as though a cover was lifted from the ambulance and I could see, feel and smell everything that Kevin described. This book is not for the squeamish, as it describes the bloody, gory, foul smelling, and sometimes violent and often bizarre situations that Kevin finds himself in.
He works his way up to the night shift and for a while has a great partner and enjoys watching himself grow in experience. He goes back to school to be a paramedic and as such his word is the final decision in the treatment of patients. It’s a scary world out there, for sure. Kevin seems to thrive on the adrenaline rush and feeling of being in charge.
His burn out starts slowly but once he has a family the long and exhausting hours on duty take their toll and he knows it’s time to stop.
I think anyone would enjoy this book, it’s a glimpse into a world that we seldom think about but possibly will be a patient in, which will make anyone think carefully about who is attending to us in our hours of need. We would be lucky to have someone as dedicated as Kevin in that ambulance!
I am always drawn to anything medical and this memoir proved to be an eye opening and emotional roller coaster of a ride with Kevin as he started his career as an EMT. I worked in a hospital environment for 10 years but typing surgical reports in a medical records environment, so I was pretty far from where the real action, in the ER, was happening, but I was told many stories.
After 9/11 Kevin leaves behind his brief start in journalism to try to find a job that will be rewarding and where he can contribute to something important, being an EMT seemed to be the answer for him. After completing his training he was thrown right into the thick of things, assigned to assist paramedics during their ambulance runs.
This ambulance service sees some of the worst cases, responding to calls in the worst areas of Atlanta and transporting patients to Grady Memorial hospital which is located in the “seedier” side of Atlanta. The cases that Kevin describes vary greatly from some that are actually humorous to the life threatening. I felt as though a cover was lifted from the ambulance and I could see, feel and smell everything that Kevin described. This book is not for the squeamish, as it describes the bloody, gory, foul smelling, and sometimes violent and often bizarre situations that Kevin finds himself in.
He works his way up to the night shift and for a while has a great partner and enjoys watching himself grow in experience. He goes back to school to be a paramedic and as such his word is the final decision in the treatment of patients. It’s a scary world out there, for sure. Kevin seems to thrive on the adrenaline rush and feeling of being in charge.
His burn out starts slowly but once he has a family the long and exhausting hours on duty take their toll and he knows it’s time to stop.
I think anyone would enjoy this book, it’s a glimpse into a world that we seldom think about but possibly will be a patient in, which will make anyone think carefully about who is attending to us in our hours of need. We would be lucky to have someone as dedicated as Kevin in that ambulance!
February 5, 2016
Having worked in EMS myself I absolutely loved this book! I can relate to everything that was said about questioning if you can do it and the madness of your first call. Knowing deep down that eventually THE CALL will come. Kevin is a great story teller, this was a quick and enjoyable book about his time in EMS from starting school until he decided it was time to move on. Being from the South I know the reputation of Grady EMS and wanted to work there myself yet I lived too far from ATL.
There was a good bit of humor in this book, some that most people may not be able to relate to if they never worked in this field. Going through everything you do in EMS does change you and people do get burnt out. I definitely miss the madness and excitement of it and being there in a patients true time of need. But, I do not miss the hours or lack of pay. It is nice to go home at a decent hour and to not be woken up in the middle of the night for something that could have waited.
One thing that I realized working in EMS is that once you see the "dark side" of a city you never look at it quite the same.
There was a good bit of humor in this book, some that most people may not be able to relate to if they never worked in this field. Going through everything you do in EMS does change you and people do get burnt out. I definitely miss the madness and excitement of it and being there in a patients true time of need. But, I do not miss the hours or lack of pay. It is nice to go home at a decent hour and to not be woken up in the middle of the night for something that could have waited.
One thing that I realized working in EMS is that once you see the "dark side" of a city you never look at it quite the same.
December 1, 2022
Fabulous book! Highly recommend!
February 26, 2025
This introduction to the life lived behind the eyes of a (former) Paramedic provides a microscopic view into a profession many would not choose. We find an adroit account by Hazzard in his descriptive minutia suspending the perilous chaos for a brief moment--so the reader may experience the same---on the job. Morbid calls are told (unedited).
"At some point we drop the patient off, then run more calls. The day ends. I go home, and whatever I tell Sabrina or my classmates about that day is edited for content."
---Kevin Hazzard
Another joke specific to the profession is: "What is the difference between God and a paramedic? God doesn't think he is a paramedic." Kevin recounts the rival companies transporting for non-emergency calls and the many needle sticks in the dark. Hazzards' view of the case histories some may call "cavalier." Praying for disaster e.g. the man at bus stop with maggots falling off his face may not be for everyone. Gallows-like humor here. Read with caution.
"At some point we drop the patient off, then run more calls. The day ends. I go home, and whatever I tell Sabrina or my classmates about that day is edited for content."
---Kevin Hazzard
Another joke specific to the profession is: "What is the difference between God and a paramedic? God doesn't think he is a paramedic." Kevin recounts the rival companies transporting for non-emergency calls and the many needle sticks in the dark. Hazzards' view of the case histories some may call "cavalier." Praying for disaster e.g. the man at bus stop with maggots falling off his face may not be for everyone. Gallows-like humor here. Read with caution.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 5, 2017
I really enjoyed this book. It is a well written account of life as a paramedic and, since I love leaning about other people's jobs (as those of you who know me can attest to), for me this was a great read.
January 6, 2021
I could not finish this. I could not handle this person’s disrespectful attitude toward patients.
April 18, 2019
A wild ride is not even the slightest hint of an overstatement with this book. Honestly, I have no idea how paramedics do their job... Every moment was so intense and Kevin Hazzard recounted each moment with such vivid detail and enthusiasm.
A Thousand Naked Strangers was filled with hilarity and sadness, darkness, despair, insanity, absurdity, hope, pain and pressure. Kevin Hazzard really just made you feel like you were catching up with a family member who you haven't seen in years, who's keen on telling you what their life has been like since you last saw each other.
From his moving from the world of journalism to his entry into the world of being an EMT and the madness that ensued from that to his eventual upgrading as a paramedic and the things that he's seen... boy, I'll tell you... If you ever wanted to ask an EMT/Paramedic what it's like dealing with the things they deal with - this is the best, most thrilling and complex answer you're ever going to get.
I felt like I was in the ambulance with him the whole time. Right in the thick of it with him and every partner he's ever had. You better believe that the shelf life on this job doesn't feel very long. I understood why every person who quit, quit. I understood why every person who gave up, gave up or got fired and the burn out, ohhh the burnout felt real as fuck. I felt like I was right there with him THE ENTIRE TIME.
I was going to give this book 5-stars but the one thing that held me back was the fact that it felt too much like being wowed by pain, madness and other people's tragedies. Sometimes, I felt like this memoir was lacking a little finesse around certain people's issues and we could chalk that up to being a hardened veteran, but that's lazy. There are still some dignities you have to give to people's lives, deaths, and communities. A few times I couldn't look past the indignities and it made me raise my eyebrows so high, they were in my headback.
Kevin Hazzard does take pride in being a working member of pre-gentrified impoverished neighborhoods, but being a person who goes in and cleans up and a person who goes in and gives back are different, even though in his occupation that's splitting hairs. Being truly apart of something and being a voyeur comes across differently with the words used to describe neighborhoods. I really don't give a fuck how down you are with the brothers and sisters in black neighborhoods, you gotta put some respek on the way that you handle the neighborhood and the stories that you're extracting from those communities. Especially, when you're obviously going back to a different community to sleep at night, as he described in his driving long distances to get to work and certain areas.
There's an obvious white privilege in here that's hard to deny, and it smells like shit sometimes, so I had to knock off a star for that. Other than that; the book is solid and it is definitely a wild ride. You're never being oversold on the ride when reading this book. I really couldn't put it down.
A Thousand Naked Strangers was filled with hilarity and sadness, darkness, despair, insanity, absurdity, hope, pain and pressure. Kevin Hazzard really just made you feel like you were catching up with a family member who you haven't seen in years, who's keen on telling you what their life has been like since you last saw each other.
From his moving from the world of journalism to his entry into the world of being an EMT and the madness that ensued from that to his eventual upgrading as a paramedic and the things that he's seen... boy, I'll tell you... If you ever wanted to ask an EMT/Paramedic what it's like dealing with the things they deal with - this is the best, most thrilling and complex answer you're ever going to get.
I felt like I was in the ambulance with him the whole time. Right in the thick of it with him and every partner he's ever had. You better believe that the shelf life on this job doesn't feel very long. I understood why every person who quit, quit. I understood why every person who gave up, gave up or got fired and the burn out, ohhh the burnout felt real as fuck. I felt like I was right there with him THE ENTIRE TIME.
I was going to give this book 5-stars but the one thing that held me back was the fact that it felt too much like being wowed by pain, madness and other people's tragedies. Sometimes, I felt like this memoir was lacking a little finesse around certain people's issues and we could chalk that up to being a hardened veteran, but that's lazy. There are still some dignities you have to give to people's lives, deaths, and communities. A few times I couldn't look past the indignities and it made me raise my eyebrows so high, they were in my headback.
Kevin Hazzard does take pride in being a working member of pre-gentrified impoverished neighborhoods, but being a person who goes in and cleans up and a person who goes in and gives back are different, even though in his occupation that's splitting hairs. Being truly apart of something and being a voyeur comes across differently with the words used to describe neighborhoods. I really don't give a fuck how down you are with the brothers and sisters in black neighborhoods, you gotta put some respek on the way that you handle the neighborhood and the stories that you're extracting from those communities. Especially, when you're obviously going back to a different community to sleep at night, as he described in his driving long distances to get to work and certain areas.
There's an obvious white privilege in here that's hard to deny, and it smells like shit sometimes, so I had to knock off a star for that. Other than that; the book is solid and it is definitely a wild ride. You're never being oversold on the ride when reading this book. I really couldn't put it down.
February 5, 2016
Take a former journalist; make him a paramedic in a high-poverty, high-danger area for a decade; then turn him loose again to write about it, and he will play his readers like violins and make us like it. A Thousand Naked Strangers is a high octane, gloriously visceral ride in an ambulance and out of one, through Southeast Atlanta, Georgia. Thank you to Net Galley and to Scribner for the DRC. Since I read multiple galleys at a time and I loved this one best, I tried to feed it to myself in small nibbles, like Mary Ingalls hoarding her Christmas candy, but it was just too riveting and I could not stay away.
At the memoir’s beginning, our guy is just looking for work. With just a few months of training, he can become an EMT. His journalistic career wasn’t working out as he had expected, and he found himself working as a paperboy instead, delivering the newspaper for which he had written. That’s about as rock bottom as it gets.
He becomes an EMT; then he sets out to discover whether he wants to commit to the extra year and a half of schooling required become a medic. Once in, he’s hooked, not so much in spite of the risk and unpredictability of the job, but because of it.
And when you think about it, what other job pays so very little, involves so much danger, and gets so little respect? Teaching comes to mind, but being a rescue worker trumps even that, particularly for the low pay and insane hours--holidays missed--to do it, a person needs to be young, and to be an adrenaline junkie. And for a decade, Hazzard fits that description.
http://seattlebookmamablog.org/2015/1...
At the memoir’s beginning, our guy is just looking for work. With just a few months of training, he can become an EMT. His journalistic career wasn’t working out as he had expected, and he found himself working as a paperboy instead, delivering the newspaper for which he had written. That’s about as rock bottom as it gets.
He becomes an EMT; then he sets out to discover whether he wants to commit to the extra year and a half of schooling required become a medic. Once in, he’s hooked, not so much in spite of the risk and unpredictability of the job, but because of it.
And when you think about it, what other job pays so very little, involves so much danger, and gets so little respect? Teaching comes to mind, but being a rescue worker trumps even that, particularly for the low pay and insane hours--holidays missed--to do it, a person needs to be young, and to be an adrenaline junkie. And for a decade, Hazzard fits that description.
http://seattlebookmamablog.org/2015/1...
July 30, 2020
i loved this, what a wild ride but so much fun
July 26, 2023
This would be an eye-opening look into the world of EMS employees both EMTs and Paramedics if that world was unknown to me. It follows Hazzard through the decision to go to EMT school and work in a big city (Atlanta) EMS program. After working with some smaller transport and ambulance services, he moves to a program located at Grady Memorial in downtown Atlanta both a sprawling facility for the indigent and a full-service trauma center. His experiences in the environment are varied and many times takes them to areas where their own lives could be in jeopardy. He moves from EMT into a Paramedic program where when completed and all Registry exams are passed, he takes on more responsibility for directing a team in the field and providing advanced life-saving care. It is a rush and one of the reasons he stayed in the field for almost 10 years. If you are squeamish, this is not the book for you, but if you want a to take that "wild ride" with an inner-city Paramedic with all its craziness, body fluids and some gore: Enjoy!!
July 24, 2022
The average person has no clue how difficult the jobs of EMTs and paramedics are this book is a series of snapshots into such a life . Written with passion for a job that most could not do in a city most would not want to do it in . Really enjoyed this book just wish there had been more stories ;)
January 10, 2016
A Thousand Naked Strangers is an interesting and fast paced account of Kevin Hazzard's decade long tenure as a paramedic in Atlanta, Georgia.
At age twenty six, after just eight months of a part time course Emergency Medical Training, and a brief period spent at a rather disreputable private ambulance service ferrying around chronically ill and nursing home patients, Kevin finds himself riding shot gun in a 911 ambulance with a near burnt out partner, responding to calls in some of the worst areas of Atlanta.
EMS is the greatest show I've ever seen, except its not a show, it's all real. No, it's more than that -it's reality distilled and boiled down to its essence. It's life and (hopefully) death, and unlike the general public, I'm invited and allowed to wander freely amid the debris. So send me anything."
Hazzard details his first few months on the job as he grows in confidence as an EMT, enjoying the novelty, despite a frustrating rotation of partners. However, it's not until he is teamed with Chris, a career medic, that he begins to view his job as a calling, and decides to upgrade his qualification to become a paramedic, eventually joining the sought after Grady Trauma service.
Hazzard punctuates his narrative with sometimes bloody and often bizarre vignettes of injury and tragedy, severed toes, shattered skulls, choking dogs, angry drunks, and shirtless crack heads. Squeamish readers may not appreciate Hazzard's descriptions or his dark sense of humour that medicos are famed for, but I admired his candor.
"I just put my hand in brain"
"What'd it feel like?"
"Squishy."
Eventually Hazzard's service begins to take an emotional toll, it is a stressful, often thankless job and eventually the adrenaline fades.
A Thousand Naked Strangers is a gritty, thrilling and compelling glimpse into the world of a paramedic.
December 13, 2020
Everyone is the protagonist of their own story, but not everyone's story should be turned into a book. This was wholly problematic in too many ways to enumerate and made me actually angry as I read it. It should have been a journal, or an email to some friends. Instead, it was a series of gory anecdotes that discounted or ignored the humanity of the job. The point of view was that of a privileged outsider who can look at everyone else's worst moments with amusement. It's not that you can't have fun in a difficult job - God knows you have to - but the deaths of people in a traumatic event that shut down a city and continues to have repercussions maybe shouldn't be tossed in as a reason I was late to a wedding again, haha.
It wasn't hard to read, but other than that, I can't really think of any redeeming value. If you're in the world or like stories of blood and mayhem, sure. But I'm certain there are better ones that acknowledge the excitement while still taking the work more seriously. (In fact, Caroline B. Cooney better toed the line in Flight #116 Is Down!, exclamation point and all!)
It wasn't hard to read, but other than that, I can't really think of any redeeming value. If you're in the world or like stories of blood and mayhem, sure. But I'm certain there are better ones that acknowledge the excitement while still taking the work more seriously. (In fact, Caroline B. Cooney better toed the line in Flight #116 Is Down!, exclamation point and all!)
February 21, 2017
"Life is a series of cycles—each nothing but new people, new memories, and eventually, a new ending."
I've been working in the Emergency Department at the local hospital for 4 years now and there are very few professionals I admire and love more than our paramedics and EMTs. I've seen them rushing in from literal hell and never waver. I've seen them do more than their duty calls for.
It was fascinating to see the world through their eyes for once. I only ever see the after. I know every word written, every feeling and emotion. I understand the fear, the pain, the dark rush of adrenaline, and every dark morbid joke shared.
"Death cracks inside jokes that only we emergency workers—with our practical knowledge of the postmortem human—will ever laugh at."
It's a well-written read, even to those who've never spent a moment working in the medical field. It's eye opening with a brutal honesty that demands respect.
I've been working in the Emergency Department at the local hospital for 4 years now and there are very few professionals I admire and love more than our paramedics and EMTs. I've seen them rushing in from literal hell and never waver. I've seen them do more than their duty calls for.
It was fascinating to see the world through their eyes for once. I only ever see the after. I know every word written, every feeling and emotion. I understand the fear, the pain, the dark rush of adrenaline, and every dark morbid joke shared.
"Death cracks inside jokes that only we emergency workers—with our practical knowledge of the postmortem human—will ever laugh at."
It's a well-written read, even to those who've never spent a moment working in the medical field. It's eye opening with a brutal honesty that demands respect.
February 22, 2016
I'm drawn to books where people talk about a day in their life and you get to be a fly on the wall into their world. I'm curious about what it's like to be a teacher, a doctor, a paramedic, a nurse and many more professions . Books like this help me understand and step into someone else's shoes. This was a decent read. Hazard gives you an electric , fast paced look at what a Paramedic faces on the streets , from the asthma attacks, to the shootings, drugs, births and deaths. He reflects on why he choose this path and makes some great insights on the tole it took on his emotional health and on his family. It was not as good as " A Paramedic's Diary," by Stuart Gray, which had a clearer focus and was divided into cases, with clear themes. Sometimes, I felt jumps in this book and didn't always follow along. Overall 3.5 out of 5 stars. #ebooks #review #medicine
February 5, 2016
I ended up returning it to the library, reading only about 1/3 of the book. Maybe it was that it was written from a paramedic perspective that conflicted with my nurse brain (doubt it, as I really do appreciate the role that paramedics play, they are indeed my own "phone a friend" in my work world). More than likely, the library got returned because I had other books show up that seemed to better match my reading mode.
Might try and re-visit it again...but for now...so many book, so little time to read.
Might try and re-visit it again...but for now...so many book, so little time to read.
March 10, 2023
While Kevin Hazzard worked as a reporter after 9/11, covering stories about Gulf War veterans as well as hometown heroes--rescuers dealing with local crises/tragedies--he began to feel untested, so he decided to go back to school and become an EMT. This book chronicles his decade as an EMT and paramedic in Atlanta, working in the roughest areas of the city, from school to newbie to burn-out. Well written and gritty, Hazzard pulls no punches and doesn't sugarcoat anything. He offers full disclosure about his youthful (and sometimes egregious) high jinx & rule-breaking, mistakes, the shithole (pardon!) that is the Atlanta he saw, and the relationships between first responders.
I found this very relatable. So many parallels to my job as a veterinary technician:
***The personality type it takes to excel in the role. You have to enjoy the medical aspect and have a science-oriented brain. You have to care about your patients. You have to solve mysteries when your patient can't tell you what's wrong. You have to have a strong stomach. You have to be brave in the face of violence. You have to willingly accept personal sacrifice (lunch, holidays, etc.).
***A particular sense of humor is required--macabre, gross, often inappropriate. It's a defense mechanism.
***The amount of attention you give new people. Every new hire is either a potential attrition or lifer; dues must be paid.
***The wish for the worst. You don't want patients to suffer from horrible accidents or disease, but you know it will happen, and when it does, you do want to be the one to treat it. For example, in my 23 years, I've seen one dog with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, one dog with a lacerated penis from mating through a chain link fence, found Paragonimus once, etc.
When he left his paramedic job, Hazzard (obviously) went back to writing, and I hope he's made enough money from his books and TV shows (Code Black) to spoil his long-suffering wife, who stood by him through that decade with unwavering loyalty.
Bottom line, this was a very enjoyable read, though the star rating is making me waffle. It's a solid 3.5 feeling, but whether to round up or down depends on the individual, and I guess I'll go up to 4 because I could relate to so much here.
I found this very relatable. So many parallels to my job as a veterinary technician:
***The personality type it takes to excel in the role. You have to enjoy the medical aspect and have a science-oriented brain. You have to care about your patients. You have to solve mysteries when your patient can't tell you what's wrong. You have to have a strong stomach. You have to be brave in the face of violence. You have to willingly accept personal sacrifice (lunch, holidays, etc.).
***A particular sense of humor is required--macabre, gross, often inappropriate. It's a defense mechanism.
***The amount of attention you give new people. Every new hire is either a potential attrition or lifer; dues must be paid.
***The wish for the worst. You don't want patients to suffer from horrible accidents or disease, but you know it will happen, and when it does, you do want to be the one to treat it. For example, in my 23 years, I've seen one dog with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, one dog with a lacerated penis from mating through a chain link fence, found Paragonimus once, etc.
When he left his paramedic job, Hazzard (obviously) went back to writing, and I hope he's made enough money from his books and TV shows (Code Black) to spoil his long-suffering wife, who stood by him through that decade with unwavering loyalty.
Bottom line, this was a very enjoyable read, though the star rating is making me waffle. It's a solid 3.5 feeling, but whether to round up or down depends on the individual, and I guess I'll go up to 4 because I could relate to so much here.
July 23, 2018
Sadly, this is a memoir that gives firsthand account of how the neediest people in Atlanta were in serious trouble when their life and death hung in the balance. Critical care that most of us would say required human needs be taken seriously, professionally, and compassionately are handled in a meatball factory style of care. Patients are almost purveyors of their own health tragedies and show unconscionable disrespect for themselves and their critical care provides. Dignity is not a part of care. It is a game instead with more loser on the patient and caregivers side as ambulance drive in and out of the scariest scenes imaginable. No wonder healthcare is in its state in urban communities. In all fairness, most of us would not want to walk in the EMS shoes either. There does not seem to be much respect for what they are doing to get you to the hospital alive or with saved body parts. The stress and danger they face is untenable while they save and mend people. Still, I expect EMS workers would show servant characteristics like other everyday heroes, such as firemen. Found out how naïve this idea was. This book makes me feel sick. Sure hope I never am so sick in South Atlanta that I need a medics call, not for my life do I want to be part of someone else madness while in distress.
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